Brooklyn Sorachi Ace
7.60% ABV
Ante up PorchDrinker, because today we have the Brooklyn Sorachi Ace on our table and it is…aces. Sorry, I had to. This delightful saison was intended for summers, but after its original warm-weathered debut, Brooklyn Brewery fans liked it so much, it worked its way off the seasonal list and onto the Brewmaster’s Reserve, offered year round. While I can see the summer appeal it is certainly a brew good for any season. However, The thing I like the most about this beer is that it has a little bit of everything, all rolled into one. (Yes, I did just accidentally slip into some Meredith Brooks lyrics there. I cringed for a second, but then I got over it. You will too.) This beer is somehow simultaneously crisp yet comforting, light but big, and strong but subtle. Basically, you’ve hit blackjack my friend.
Wait, I take it back, not blackjack—pretend we’re playing poker— 5 card stud, Brooklyn Brewery is the dealer, and your hand is the beer. First you get dealt not one but two (Sorachi) aces. Third card: yeast, water, and all the other stuff that goes into making beer. Fourth and fifth cards? MORE ACES. I am of course, referring to the pre- and post-fermentation hopping of the beer. So for this bet, you are gonna want to go all in, baby! Though let’s be honest, everyone at the table would’ve gone out as soon as the 4th card was thrown. Nobody would bet against two aces on the table. Work with me here, that analogy was difficult to come up with.
Anyway, the Brooklyn Sorachi Ace, pours a nice, frothy, eggshell white head, that leaves lacing in organically meandering shapes across your glass, that lasts only a minute or two. The color is a fuzzy, brownish gold that borders on opaque, but not quite. It has a nice sharp carbonated feel that is not too thick and a bit on the drier side, giving that back jaw tingle. The most recognizable flavor and aroma is lemon, par for the course with Sorachi hops, but beneath that there is a bready earthiness nicely complimented by subtle spices. The other thing about this beer is that it reads like it would be a lower ABV than it actually is. Overall, the Brooklyn Sorachi Ace is so well put together, accessible and complex, so nicely balanced, that a glass of it will make a beer lover feel like they just went blind nil and pulled it off. Now we are playing Spades— keep up. But yes, it is that good.
P.S. Was my poker talk convincing? Because I definitely had to look up all the rules. And also the name of the game.
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